I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City-Chapter 136: Returned to Live Twice

"Rohan and Ichinose were suddenly engulfed by the monolith. Witnessing this, Shion and Clara reacted instinctively.

Shion began scrambling with the equipment he had, searching for any traces that might aid in tracking, while Clara immediately contacted June, a former acquaintance who had helped with immigration matters, in a desperate attempt to get help.

Overwhelmed and with trembling lips, Clara managed to explain the situation as June, who had been alerted, arrived at the scene faster than the local security officers.

Upon arriving, June's face contorted with the ominous feel of the residual magic left at the scene, signaling danger and evoking a surge of negative emotions that seemed ready to burst into flames.

Yet, there was no time to fully grasp the despair or bitterness as Shion and Clara, visibly distraught over Rohan's absence, needed attention. The scene bore a significant resemblance to an old video of the monolith incident involving an elf girl, but it didn't seem like the right moment to bring up the past.

"June, my brother... he..." Clara managed to stammer out her worry.

"It's alright. Rohan will come back. He's capable enough," June tried to assure her while embracing Clara, though deep down, the certainty of his assurance was tenuous. Rohan's survival skills and Ichinose Yui's competence were well acknowledged but typically against the academy's average standards.

Among the cadets, flying high in tests and simulations is one thing; truly excelling in real danger is another. Moreover, the number of people returning from the monolith incidents was dishearteningly low.

And now, Rohan had been involved twice in such anomalies—a cadet who had already faced the calamity of losing his country to the Voidwhale. What rotten luck.

In silence, June consoled the two girls as security officers arrived, and they took over explaining the situation based on June's accounts.

The cameras around the area were checked, and the two academy first-year students, Ichinose Yui and Rohan, were officially listed as missing. June reached out directly to Ichinose Jun, Yui's father busy with corporate affairs back in Sanghai, and even Noah Frozenheart, who set records within the academy's hierarchies, was informed.

Breathless from his rush to the scene, Noah realized the gravity of his friends' disappearance. Usually vibrant, his eyes now resembled those of a dead fish as he regretted not being there that might have led him to follow into the monolith alongside them.

"Rohan...?" questioned a distressed Clara as she and Shion stood by Noah, who was now resting in June's arms, utterly drained.

The wait was agonizing. Hours passed with security personnel and scholars swarming the site. Noah, Shion, and Clara remained, the former barely holding on.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

June, in a rare moment, lit a cigarette he had quit over two decades ago, smoking quietly in a corner, his wife not objecting.

As time dragged on, the situation seemed hopeless. Inside the monolith, the duration was unknown, and those ensnared battled life and death, while outside, their friends and family could only wait helplessly, clinging to a sliver of hope that they might return.

Then, just shy of ten hours after the disappearance, vibrations shook from the smartphones of Shion and Clara.

Startled, they frantically retrieved their phones from their pockets. A message had appeared in the silent group chat, a sight both unbelievable and desperately welcome.

[Rohan: Where are you guys?]

The message, simple yet profound, sparked a flurry of emotions as they stared at their screens, momentarily frozen before relief and joy overwhelmed them."

***

Fwoosh─!

Ichinose's blade swung past the monolith that was situated in the mansion.

A clean strike.

The black monolith smoothly slid down diagonally.

[The quest has been completed.]

[You have obtained a reward.]

[A full recovery for the party will now be executed.]

Krrrrrumble─!!!

Magical energy swirled around Rohan and Ichinose like a typhoon.

The dungeon floor crumbled, and their bodies began to float.

[No designated return point has been set.]

[Returning to a random location - residence.]

The notification window was subtly different from before.

Rohan, having recovered from his dizziness, opened his eyes with a clear mind.

"Oh...?"

Unlike when he had returned from the dungeon with Shion and Clara, they weren't on the rooftop of a restaurant.

It was a familiar place instead.

Lying on his back, he could see nothing unfamiliar about the ceiling.

The place where Rohan and Ichinose had landed was the Orion Academy male dormitory.

And it was Rohan's room.

"Baby-nose? We're back."

Rohan gently nudged the girl cradled in his arms to wake her.

Ichinose slowly raised her head, then opened her eyes and blankly looked around.

It seemed she hadn't yet realized they had survived the dungeon.

"Where is this...?"

"Orion Academy dormitory. It's my room."

With that one sentence, vitality returned to the girl's eyes.

Pushing aside the rising thoughts, Ichinose recalled the most urgent matter.

"Ro, Rohan! Forget reporting for now... Let's hurry to the hospital!"

"It's okay. I'm all healed up."

"...?"

The girl didn’t understand what he meant, so Rohan gestured towards his arm to show her.

The academy uniform was ripped and stained with blood underneath, but it was clean.

"What’s this...?"

"Baby-nose, check where you were injured."

Although the torn academy uniform did not return, just as Rohan said, all the wounds that had been on their bodies had healed.

At the same time, Ichinose remembered the information Rohan had left with the Security Bureau.

"...Come to think of it, Rohan did this last time too."

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"Right. I wonder if this has happened to others?"

As Rohan cheekily replied, Ichinose shook her head.

There had been no other survivors with such cases.

"Shall we get up? A lot of people must be worried. We need to contact them."

"Huh? Ah...!"

Ichinose realized she had /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ been lying on top of Rohan, in a position that could remind one of lovers, and she suddenly clammed up.

Springing up as if propelled, Ichinose took a few steps back and pressed against the dormitory wall.

Rohan grinned at her reaction and plugged his nearly dead phone into the charger.

"...Ro, Rohan."

"Hm?"

"Remember when we’re being interrogated... you know?"

"Only mention what's necessary?"

As Rohan replied, Ichinose vigorously nodded, then took out her smartphone.

Watching the girl make a call, Rohan continued pondering.

'Clara? Shion? Instructor? Security Bureau?'

As he considered who to call first, Rohan left a message in the group chat.

Not even three seconds passed before his phone rang.

[Clara]

After the ordeal, Rohan missed Shion and Clara.

Though not much time had passed here compared to the dungeon, he was also worried about how they had been.

Rohan smiled and answered the call.

─ Oh, brother!? Where are you? Are you alright?

─ Rohan! Where are you? I'm coming over!

Shion and Clara’s anxious voices poured out.

"Here at the dorm. My room. I'm fine."

─ The dorm? I’m coming now!

─ Don't move, just wait there!

Loud noises followed, and the call ended.

Similarly ending her call, Ichinose poked Rohan.

"What's up?"

"...My, my parents have come to the Academy City."

"Of course. They must have been really worried."

As Rohan smiled,

Ichinose, with a flushed face, bowed her head to hide it.

Meeting Rohan and her parents was inevitable.

This thought painted a certain future in the girl’s mind.